The Ultimate House Entropy Quiz

Home Sweet Home, goes the cliché. But that's assuming it was constructed well and that you are maintaining it lovingly. If you neglect it, entropy can set in with the result of inevitable decay. Keep your home sweet with its inherent sparkle by taking this quiz on house entropy.

Start Quiz »

You scored

0 out of 20

Question 1 of 20

Cleaning gutters, replacing roof shingles and recaulking windows are all aspects of home maintenance. What do they achieve?

They keep you busy even during retirement age.

They keep your home value high.

They protect your house against the ravages of weather and time.

All these aspects of home maintenance protect your home. Stop doing them, and your home will fall victim to the ravages of weather and time.

Question 2 of 20

How long it would take for a home to deteriorate depends on which factors?

the climate and the current state of your house

A home can deteriorate at different rates depending on a variety of factors. Some of these include the climate and the current state of your house maintenance.

the neighborhood you live in and your family size

the size of the house and the amount of time it took to build it

Question 3 of 20

What is your home's biggest foe?

extremes of temperature

strong winds

water damage

Surprisingly, your home's biggest foe is water damage, often starting with water leakage in the roof.

Question 4 of 20

How are most roofs structured?

They have brick tiles over a layer of dry wood.

They have steel beams and wooden rafters.

They have roofing shingles over a kind of plywood.

Most roofs, at least in the U.S., are made of roofing shingles covering a type of plywood underneath.

Leaves trapped in the gutters can mean no drainage for the rainwater. This would lead to water spillage onto your roof, which would penetrate inside.

burst bathroom pipes

Question 8 of 20

Why do paint and wallpaper peel when you have a hole in your roof?

Sunlight penetrates through the hole and causes the peeling.

There's no connection at all -- the two are incidental.

Condensation forms because of the combination of cold and humid air inside and that moisture causes the peeling.

A hole allows the entry of cold air, which mixes with the humidity within. Condensation forms and the moisture causes the peeling.

Question 9 of 20

Your builder used caulking to seal the windows. Why are there signs of rotting there now, years later?

because the caulk loses its effectiveness after about 25 years

Chances are, if the builder did the job long ago, it's no longer effective. Caulking has a lifespan of about 25 years.

because he didn't do a good job

because caulking isn't a good sealant

Question 10 of 20

Which home construction material deteriorates sooner: brick or wood?

wood

brick

about the same

They both have similar rates of deterioration.

Question 11 of 20

Over time, where does moisture seep into a brick home?

into the flooring

into the roofing

into the shell underneath the brick exterior

Moisture makes its way into the shell of the home, which lies underneath the brick exterior.

Question 12 of 20

When your house undergoes its final stages of decay (even though you hope it'll never happen), what is the last to go?

metal plumbing and gas pipes

This is, of course, a theoretical question; you hope it'll never reach this ugly scenario. But if it does, the metal plumbing and gas pipes would still be holding, assuming you've taken good care of them over the years.

the exterior

the gaskets

Question 13 of 20

Termites and other tiny bugs are an ever-threatening danger to your home. What makes a conducive environment for them to breed and bore through your timber?

aluminum window frames

moisture

Termites and other creatures just love moisture. It's their favorite environment!

gloss paint

Question 14 of 20

When termites eat through your timber, what is the nature of the process?

They feed on the dust particles covering the timber, then release a certain toxin into the air.

They ingest moisture particles and give off carbon dioxide.

They use bacteria in their stomachs to break down the timber into cellulose.

The termites use bacteria that is found in their stomachs in order to break down the timber into cellulose.

Question 15 of 20

If your house is in a bad state of repair, what damage could dry outside vegetation cause?

It could strangle your home like an overgrown weed.

It could pose a fire hazard.

If the vegetation is really dry, it could pose a fire hazard.

It could start growing inside your home.

Question 16 of 20

How can tree roots cause major damage to a neglected house?

They can loosen the soil and allow water to penetrate the foundations underneath.

Tree roots that are allowed to proliferate can loosen the soil and cause water penetration into the very foundations of your home.

They can spread along the sides of the house.

They can absorb the carbon dioxide around.

Question 17 of 20

After many years of disuse, a house could see the decay of its footing or structural base. What is the worst that could happen then?

It could form cracks.

It could get severely weather-beaten.

It could form a sinkhole and the entire house could crumble into it.

It could actually form what's called a sinkhole. This is literally a huge hole, large enough to engulf a crumbling house.

Question 18 of 20

In hot climates, what could cause a home to decay sooner?

heat waves

sunshine

humidity

Humidity could cause an accelerated decay process in hotter climates.

Question 19 of 20

What might cause a home to decay sooner in cold climates?

frost

Frost within your home's foundations could cause the rapid decay of your home in colder climates.

thunderstorms

cold winds

Question 20 of 20

Is there hope for a home that was badly constructed from the beginning?

unfortunately, never

thankfully, always

hopefully, sometimes

Optimistically, there is sometimes hope for a badly constructed home, but it would require an expert restoration process.